


Genie in a Bottle

by SingingInTheRaiin



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alcoholism, Alternate Universe, Canon Divergence - Post-Iron Man 1, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Gen, Immortality, JARVIS loves Tony, Loki gets what he wants, Loki is a liar sometimes, Low Self-Esteem, M/M, Marriage, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Rhodey Is a Good Bro, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, but you can't really blame him in such a precarious situation, golden apples, interesting deals, messing with timelines, or maybe just really bad decision making, possible suicide attempt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-11
Updated: 2019-05-11
Packaged: 2020-03-01 05:33:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18793999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SingingInTheRaiin/pseuds/SingingInTheRaiin
Summary: Dirty, orphaned, street kid Tony thinks that Loki is like a genie who goes around granting wishes, and asks to be made into someone who has the chances to make himself into something great. Loki agrees, but only if Tony is willing to owe him a blank check for the future. Neither of them could have possibly guessed where they would both end up as a result.





	Genie in a Bottle

_He had found something that meant he would never be poor again- but there was a catch. There always was with things like this. Or at least he assumed that there was. It’s not exactly like Tony encountered life changing things like this all the time. “So just to make sure that I understand this, you’re saying that you can make sure that I become a millionaire, based solely on my own merits of course, and in exchange, I have to… give you a kiss?”_

_The other man nodded once, and then reached up to push back some of his long black hair. “That is correct. Of course, the kiss is just to seal the deal. The actual price that you’ll have to pay is something entirely different. Think of it as a favor that you will owe me once you have gotten everything that you’ve asked for. An IOU, if you will.”_

_Tony tilted his head to the side, a small frown on his face as he considered it. “That sounds pretty dangerous to me. What if you asked me to kill myself, or to hand over all of my money, or to kill someone else, or-”_

_The other man laughed. “I can assure you that I would never ask for anything like that. I do have standards, you know. But if it makes you feel any better, then I can make sure it is explicitly stated in our deal that nothing along those lines will occur. I am not trying to back you into some kind of trap, I am merely trying to ensure that we can both get what we need out of this deal.”_

_Even though he acted hesitant about it, the truth was that Tony couldn’t see any other options for himself. He was just another street kid who nobody cared about now, and nobody would notice when he was gone. It didn’t matter how smart he was, because he never had the opportunity to use his brain for anything good. The best he could do was help plan pharmacy robberies with the guys who gave him a discount on coke. It wasn’t exactly something to put on the epitaph._

_So Tony nodded once. “Fine. Deal. Worst case scenario is that you’re nothing more than an especially weird trip. Best case scenario, I get what I need.” He started to hold out his hand, but then remembered what the man had said about the proper way to seal the deal, so Tony lunged forward and stood on the tips of his toes to press a kiss to the man’s mouth._

,,,

Tony groaned as he started to open his eyes, but there was far too much light in the room, and he immediately squeezed them shut again. He had no interest in aggravating a particularly bad hangover. There was a light knock at the door, but even that felt like too much stimulation for his poor brain. 

He rolled over onto his stomach so that he could press his face into his pillow and hide from the light and the noise. Maybe if he just stayed silent and didn’t move, whoever was at the door would think he wasn’t around, and they would just go away already and leave him the hell alone. Apparently he didn’t have good enough luck for that, though.

“Tony, I know that you’re in there. You’re the only other person who lives in this apartment. You’re also the only one I know who leaves your underwear in the living room, no matter how many times I tell you not to.”

Tony let out a truly pathetic whimper at the loud voice talking to him through the door. “Go away, Rhodey! I swear to god if my head explodes because of all you’re loudness I’m going to come back from the dead as a ghost just to haunt your ass!” Then he groaned as the sound of his own shouting made his head pound even worse, and he realized that Rhodey had been speaking blessedly quietly in comparison.

The door opened without Tony’s permission and Rhodey stepped into the room. “I suppose it would just be a waste of time to tell you what an asshole you are,” he said with a low chuckle. Then he set down a glass of water and some advil on the bedside table. “You could have at least sent me a quick text to let me know that you were even still alive.”

Tony curled up into a little ball. “Oh what do you care anyways?”

Rhodey sat down on the edge of the bed, and slowly reached out to put his hand on Tony’s shoulder. “You’re my best friend. Of course I care about you, idiot.”

Tony gulped past what felt like a giant lump in his throat as he peered out at Rhodey. “Oh.” Then he started waggling his eyebrows in that way that Rhodey always called obnoxious. “Aw Honeybear, are you saying that you wuv me? You are just the perfect, big strong man that I am wooking for-” he was cut off when Rhodey smacked him in the shoulder. “Ah geez, can’t you have even a little bit of sympathy for me?”

“Why would I have that? Am I supposed to feel sympathetic for the person who gave himself a hangover for the millionth time?”

Tony batted his eyelashes, as if he thought that that would actually help his case. “Yes?”

Rhodey rolled his eyes. “You are a pain in the ass. Take your medicine and go back to sleep until you’re more bearable to deal with.”

Tony chuckled, and shouted after Rhodey as he walked away. “You know you love me!” It made his head hurt more, but it was worth it.

,,,

Tony stared down at the ground with a blank face, while Rhodey reached over to give his hand a gentle squeeze that Tony could barely even feel. He could see some of the others in attendance who were whispering and nodding towards him in a way that didn’t even come close to being subtle. Maybe they were wondering what was wrong with him that he wasn’t crying at his own parents’ funeral. But in the end, he wasn’t even sure that it was any loss for them to be gone. They’d been pretty shitty parents.

Still, it was possible that it was just the shock that made him feel so… numb. He was only sixteen years old. Most people had their parents for much longer than that. And, well, in the end his dad might have been a rotten bastard and his mother a negligent absentee, but they were the ones responsible for bringing him into this world. They’d provided him with money and opportunities that most people would kill for. So perhaps he should feel at least a little bit grateful for them. It was something his father had often gotten angry with him about. 

As person after person went up to stand next to the caskets to talk about Howard and Maria, about how they’d just been such incredible and wonderful people who were so in love with each other and who adored their only son, Tony had to bite his lip to stop himself from laughing out loud. For one thing, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to stop his laughter from sounding hysterical. And for another, he was pretty sure that even if being numb wasn’t enough to permanently brand him a freak, laughing right now would be. 

So Tony was more than a little startled when he realized that he could hear very quiet snickers coming from somewhere else in the crowd of people who were gathered around. He blinked a few times in surprise, and then looked around to see if he could spot the source of the inappropriate laughter. 

There, standing across from him, was a man dressed in the same drab business suit as every other man in attendance. But he didn’t quite blend in with the rest of the crowd because his very pale skin was quite noticeable under the bright sunlight, and his green eyes were sharp as they met Tony’s gaze confidently. And there was the almost amused looking smirk on his mouth, small enough to be written off as something else if somebody were to ask about it, but nobody seemed interested in asking. 

Tony stood there and waited throughout the entire rest of the pointless ceremony, which was only being performed for those who were still living, since the dead bodies in the coffins certainly didn’t care about what was said about them. Then it was finally over, and everyone slowly began to shuffle back to their cars so that they could head to the Stark mansion to eat and gossip and pretend that they actually gave a shit for the rest of the day. 

It wasn’t something Tony was looking forward to at all, and he convinced Rhodey to go on ahead of him. Then Tony just lingered around artfully (though he was pretty sure he probably looked like an idiot. There wasn’t even a wall to coolly lean back against). Staying behind meant having to listen to condolences from everyone who walked past him on their way to the parking lot, but it was worth it in the end, when it was just him and the mystery guy left.

The stranger slowly walked up to Tony, as if he had all the time in the world. “I am sorry for your loss,” he said in the tone of someone who meant the complete opposite of what they were saying. “How are you holding up?”

Tony shrugged. “Still processing.” It was only slightly more true than the terse ‘fine’ he’d given to everyone else who had bothered to ask. “Who are you?”

The man’s weird little smile stretched up even further. “You can call me Loki. Consider me something of a… guardian angel.”

“I don’t believe in that stuff,” Tony told him frankly. “How did you know my parents? The public memorial isn’t until Friday, and I know that I’ve never seen you around before.”

Loki laughed. “You could say that I introduced them to an important person in their lives.”

Tony narrowed his eyes, and crossed his arms over his chest. “If I wanted some cryptic bullshit answer, I would have asked for one. Come on, what’s really going on? Who are you? And why the hell were you laughing at a funeral?”

Loki shrugged, looking entirely unbothered by the irritation in Tony’s voice. “Everyone grieves in a different way. It’s just such an emotional time.”

“Why do I get the feeling that you’re lying? I mean, it might have something to do with the fact that you asked me to call you the god of lies? Nah, I’m sure that can’t be it.”

He wasn’t sure why Loki looked so amused. “I’m glad to see that you are feeling better, little Stark.”

Well that was unnecessarily insulting. “Hey I’m not little. You’re just freakishly tall, okay?” Then he shook his head. “Not that it even matters. Who are you really? And surely you must have a last name, Mr. Freakishly Tall and Stupidly Condescending?”

Loki laughed again. “I’m afraid not. And I don’t have very much that I need to say to you at the moment. I simply wanted to make sure that you’re alright, and it appears that you are, or at the very least, will be again sometime soon. It was a pleasure to meet you, Stark.” The way he said Tony’s last name was strange, stretching it out and giving it an emphasis that it didn’t need. Like it was some kind of inside joke or something, even though it felt like everybody in the world knew Tony’s name. “I really must run now. Places to do, people to see, I’m sure you understand.” He started to turn away, but then paused, speaking to Tony without even bothering to glance back at him. “Oh, and I do expect that we’ll be seeing each other again. I never forget about a favor.”

It seemed like Loki disappeared between one blink and the next, even though Tony knew that that had to be completely impossible, and it was probably just an after effect of whatever random pills he’d gulped down before heading out to the funeral. “What the hell do you mean about a favor?” he called out, but there was no one around to hear him. Maybe Tony was just going crazy. It would be a fitting enough ending to his story, all things considered. 

But no, something about Loki had just felt so real. It seemed impossible to believe that it had been a figment of Tony’s imagination. Or a weird drug trip. Plus, he was pretty sure that he wouldn’t have his imagination conjure up an image of someone who was so clearly a jerk. Well either way, it didn’t matter because Loki was gone and Tony still needed to get home and play the good little host. A bad reputation in the kinds of circles he ran with could be fatal.

,,,

Tony clenched his jaw, and took a deep breath before slowly opening his eyes. He stared at his shirtless reflection in the mirror for only a moment before turning away, and leaning back against the counter, staring listlessly down at the tiled floor. “Jarvis, how long was that?” he ground out. 

“Zero point six seconds, Sir. A new record.”

“Yay me.” He sighed, and shuffled out of the bathroom, feeling like a failure. What kind of person couldn’t even stand to face their own reflection? Though he figured that he couldn’t really be blamed for this flaw, considering the gnarled scars that were all bunched around the intrusion in his chest. It had been over half a year at this point since he’d last taken anyone to bed, if he counted the three months he’d spent in Afghanistan. He couldn’t stand the thought of taking his shirt off in front of anybody else. Jarvis didn’t count because Jarvis was his child and he trusted his AI with his life.

“Sir, Miss Potts is requesting access to the penthouse.”

Tony grumbled under his breath before grabbing the shirt that he’d draped over the bed and hastily pulled it on. As much as he trusted Pepper to basically run his company, and to be his friend, this was one thing that he couldn’t trust her with either. “Let her in.” A few minutes later, the redhead was reading off an entire list of things that Tony was supposed to do or have already done, and it was starting to feel rather overwhelming. “Got it. I promise I’ll take care of all of that.”

Pepper arched one eyebrow and gave him a doubtful look. Well, he probably deserved that. He never appeared to take anything about his job seriously, and as much as he was trying to turn his life around since everything that had happened, he knew that he wasn’t very successful at it. He was just one of those people who wasn’t meant to succeed, and he’d already accepted that about himself. 

Once Pepper was gone, Tony wandered over to the bar and had to stand on his tiptoes to grab one of the good bottles off the top shelf. Then he made his way over to the couch to slump down and pull off the top of the bottle. He hadn’t even opened this one yet, but didn’t bother with a glass. Normally he would, but tonight, he just wanted to get as drunk as possible as soon as he possibly could. He’d leave all of the important business-y stuff to be dealt with tomorrow. 

He chugged down half the bottle in less than twenty minutes, and then got up to head into the bathroom again. He didn’t feel more than a slight buzz, probably because he’d built up a pretty good tolerance over the years. He stared at his face in the mirror, and could see every terrible detail. He was so old and gross and he hated the sight of himself more than anything else in that moment. He punched at the mirror a few times, until his knuckles left streaks of blood across the glass, and then he yanked the mirror open to reveal the medicine cabinet behind it.

Tony grabbed the bottle of cold medication, and the antidepressants he’d been prescribed but never took. He went back out into the living room and grabbed the scotch, pouring out enough to fill half a glass, and then pouring the cold medicine in as well. He dumped out a hefty handful of the pills, and crushed them against the granite counter with the bottom of the scotch bottle, before scraping that dust into the glass to mix the entire concoction together. 

He raised it to his mouth, ready to chug it all down, but suddenly there was a way too strong hand wrapped around his wrist, stopping him from behind able to tilt the glass close enough to his mouth. He blinked a few times in confusion as he looked up at the person who had just interrupted his casual drinking session. “What the hell? I know you.”

The man inclined his head in acknowledgement of that, but none of the amusement that had been on his face during their previous encounter could be found there now. Instead, he had a stern expression, almost angry. “And just what were you about to do, Stark?” 

“Get drunk,” he muttered. “Not that it’s any of your business. How did you even get in here? Jarvis, how did he get in here?”

“My apologies, Sir, but I’m afraid that I do not know. He did not come in through any of the building entrances or take the elevator up to the penthouse. Shall I call the police?”

Loki scowled as he glanced up at the ceiling for a moment and then back at Tony. “Tell your invisible servant not to call anyone.”

Tony let a few seconds pass, and then sighed. “It’s fine, J. Probably.”

“Very reassuring, Sir.” But the AI didn’t say anything else, which sounded as close to agreement as Tony was probably going to get in this situation. 

Then Loki reached up with his unoccupied arm to pry the full glass out of Tony’s hand, sniffing it once before tipping it upside down and letting it spill out onto the carpet. Tony tried to tug his arm free, but Loki had a steel grip. “What the hell did you do that for? Do you know how expensive this carpet was?”

Loki looked at Tony with the full force of those piercing green eyes, and Tony felt like he suddenly forgot how to talk. “A mere carpet is replaceable. The same cannot be said for your foolish mortal life. You claim to be a genius, Stark. So either that is a false claim, or you were intentionally trying to poison yourself. If I had not arrived in time, it is more likely than not that you would be dead. And for what?” He slammed the glass down on the counter hard enough for it to completely shatter, and then dragged Tony closer to the center of the room. With such a strong hold on him, Tony had no choice but to let himself be pulled along, and then shoved down onto the couch. 

The two men stared at each other for several seconds before Tony realized that his arm was free again, which meant that he could cross them over his chest and stare up at Loki angrily. “I wasn’t trying to kill myself, obviously. But what difference does it make to you either way?”

It seemed as though even Loki wasn’t quite sure about the answer to that, because his expression softened for a moment before going completely hard. “I cannot collect any favors from a dead man.”

“I don’t owe you any favors,” Tony protested. “I could have saved us both the time if you’d stuck around at the funeral for a few more seconds. I don’t even know you, so how could I owe you anything? And if this is some kind of thing that Howard owed you, then I certainly didn’t agree to take on his debts, so why don’t you just go away?”

Loki shook his head. “I can’t do that. You see, you do owe me a favor, Stark. I may be a powerful mage, in fact some might even call me the most powerful in the nine, but there are some things that even I cannot do so easily. One such thing is the request that you made of me. It required me to change the entire universe, in ways far too complicated for your mortal mind to understand. I rewrote history entirely. Made a few small changes to ensure that you would get the different chance that you had asked for. I told you that the price was a blank check. And I can assure you that I have no interest in taking your money.”

Tony blinked a few times, and okay, maybe he was slightly more affected by the alcohol than he’d thought, because he had absolutely no idea what this guy was talking about. “Let’s just say that I even believe you that any of that could even be possible,” he started off slowly. “I would never be foolish enough to say that you could have anything from me.”

Loki grinned sharkishly. “Not entirely foolish enough, no. You did specify that I couldn’t ask for blood on your hands, or your entire livelihood, or anything along those lines, and I assured you that I would not ask such things anyways. I could easily procur money, and I could take any lives I wished with the use of my magic.”

Tony stood up, because he thought that it might be easier to face Loki if they were both standing (though it seemed to be a mistake, because he was still much shorter than Loki and felt slightly dizzy). “So what kind of favor do you want from me? If you’re really the ‘most powerful in the nine’- whatever the hell that means- then it seems to me like you should already have everything all figured out.”

There was a brief pause, and then Loki let out a small sigh. “Well I hadn’t really considered what exactly I would ask of you. I was more concerned with keeping you alive so that there would at least be a small chance you having some use to me. But now…” he trailed off, a thoughtful expression on his face. “I would like to take you to Asgard with me, and introduce you as my lover.”

Tony wrinkled his nose as he tried to process that. “I’m sorry, but… what?”

Loki nodded, looking rather pleased with himself. “Yes, I think that it’s the perfect plan. It will surely bother Odin to know that I am mating with a mortal, while he will also be able to appreciate your near-royal status on Midgard. It will not be a very long trip, and I can easily convince Odin that I am choosing to stay on Midgard with you, so the one visit should be enough to convince him.”

This was all so insane. Maybe whatever thoughts Tony had had last time about Loki being some kind of weird druggy hallucination hadn’t been so far off. But then he thought about the long list of things he still needed to do, and the fact that he couldn’t even look in the mirror at himself, and that everything about his life here was terrible and boring and lonely and- he shrugged and sank back down onto the couch. “Sure, why the hell not? ‘S not like I have anything better to do at the moment, and this is probably all a weird dream anyways.”

“Excellent. Once we return from our trip, you can consider your debt to me paid, and we shall both go our separate ways, where you will be free to drink yourself into a grave if that’s what you’d like to do. Until then, however, I need you sober. Odin will not be impressed with a mortal no matter what you do, but seeing you as a sloppy drunk will most certainly not put any points in your favor. He will need to see a demonstration of your intelligence and suitability if you don’t want him to literally take your head on the spot.”

“Sure, fine, of course,” Tony agreed. It’s not like there was anything Loki could say to make this even weirder. He decided to stay satisfied with the idea that this was all just some kind of messed up dream.

Loki clapped his hands together once. “I’m glad that we’re both on the same page. Now get your rest, Stark. The bifrost can make for a rather unpleasant journey if one is not used to it, and is encased in such a fragile shell. Now I just need to seal the deal so that you cannot change your mind.” He was suddenly standing right in front of Tony, and leaned forward to press a light kiss to Tony’s lips. “Pleasure doing business with you,” Loki said in a low voice. “Now like I said, you need your rest.”

Tony wandered to the bedroom, vaguely aware of the way that Loki was following him, walking around like the owned the damn place. Tony hesitated for a moment, but then reminded himself that Loki wasn’t real, so none of this really mattered, and he stripped off his shirt and pants before climbing underneath the blankets. “Can you turn off the light on your way out?”

Loki snorted, as if Tony had just said something funny. “I will not be going anywhere, Stark. I do not trust you to uphold your end of our deal without my close supervision. However, I can turn off the lights.” He waved his hand once, and the room went dark.

“Neat trick,” Tony said as he moved to sit up, interested in figuring out how Loki had just done that. 

“Rest, Stark. You can play around with magic once we are in Asgard.” He waved his hand again, and Tony suddenly felt insanely sleepy, like he’d just been in the lab for three days straight without any sleep. His limbs felt like they weighed a thousand pounds each, and it took a severe fight to just keep his eyes open. “I assure you that I will not let anything harm you in the night,” Loki told him in a weirdly gentle voice. 

Tony nodded as he relaxed back into his pillows. “Thanks,” he mumbled. “But I doubt it.”

,,,

Most people probably wouldn’t find it quite so concerning to wake up feeling completely refreshed, but Tony wasn’t ‘most people’, and he never had been. He jolted upright, and his eyes widened in alarm when he saw Loki sitting in a tacky green chair, glasses perched on the tip of his nose as he read a book that was resting on his lap. “There’s no way that any of that was real.”

Loki glanced up, and then the glasses and book both disappeared in an instant. “That seems like an odd thing to say. Are you already regretting your decision? Unfortunately, we already kissed on it, so there are no take-backs.” 

Tony thought back to the night before. He’d always had a pretty good memory for things that happened even when he was drunk, and this time was no different. “Wait a minute, you said that you needed to kiss me to seal the deal, but then you also said that you were going to watch me sleep like some kind of creeper because you couldn’t trust me not to wander off and break it, so which was the truth?”

Loki shrugged. “It’s of little importance now.”

“I happen to disagree!” Then Tony shook his head, and pulled his blanket all the way up to his neck. “I’m not getting dressed with you in my room. There’s nowhere for me to go from in here anyways.”

Loki slowly looked around, making a big show of searching the room with his eyes, and then stood up. “Very well. I will make sure that you are properly nourished for the trip.” Then he tossed some clothes down onto the foot of Tony’s bed. “Odin will not care for Midgardian fashion, so wear these.” Then he was gone in an instant. 

Being able to teleport just seemed like some kind of major unfair advantage, since it meant that Tony couldn’t really trust that he had his privacy. He grabbed the clothes and hurried into the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind him and making sure to lock it. “J, am I completely insane right now?”

“Not to my knowledge, Sir. Would you like to be?”

Tony rolled his eyes as he got into the shower. He was very careful to make sure that his wet hair never moved forward enough to touch his face, because he already knew from experience that it would set him off into a truly exhausting fit of memories. Yet another thing that made him so weak. 

He scrubbed himself off as quickly as possible, and then gave his mouth a very thorough brushing to get rid of all the gross post-booze taste in there. Then he unfolded the clothes that Loki had gave him, and looked around with an unimpressed look. “Seriously?” There was no way that he was going to look good in tiny leather pants and a flowy green blouse that looked long enough to be a dress. “I’m going to look like a weird pirate in these. No way. This looks nothing like the way that Loki dresses, anyways.” 

He wrapped a towel tightly around himself and then returned to the bedroom to grab some normal clothing. He let out a startled yelp when he saw that Loki was just standing there. “Why are you not dressed?”

Tony shrugged. “I’d like to not look like a complete and utter joke, thank you very much.”

Loki had a serious look on his face, but that didn’t seem like enough to convince Tony that he could actually trust the very bizarre man. “I can assure you that you will fit in just fine on Asgard if you wear what I gave you. Now come on, I don’t want to stand around forever.” Even though Tony’s chest was on full, embarrassing display, Loki didn’t say anything about it, or even let his eyes rest on the scars or arc reactor for any amount of time. It was relieving, in a way. Maybe Loki just thought all ‘Midgardians’ looked like that, but Tony got the feeling that that wasn’t the case. 

He let out a long sigh, but then trudged back into the bathroom to grab the weird clothes and pull them on. It took a bit of shimmying and maneuvering to fit himself into the pants, but he did manage it, and then he went back out. Loki wasn’t in the bedroom anymore, and Tony could smell something delicious coming from elsewhere in the penthouse. He opened his closet to stare at the full length mirror on the inside of one of the doors. He tucked the shirt into his pants, which made it a bit poofy around his waist, though the belt he’d been given seemed to take attention away from that detail. “Be honest, J. How do I look?”

“You look well, Sir.”

Tony nodded, and then headed to the kitchen, still feeling awkward in this outfit. Then he took a deep breath, and reminded himself that he was Tony freakin’ Stark, and he always looked damn good (as long as he was fully clothed and groomed and had those little bits of makeup that hid how old he was getting). 

He followed his nose, and found a couple of plates set out on the counter with some cut up fruit, pancakes, ham, eggs, and toast. Loki turned around from where he’d been facing the stove, and gestured to the counter. “Help yourself.”

Tony shook his head. “I’m actually not feeling that hungry, and if this ride of yours is really so rough then I’m probably better off doing it on an empty stomach.”

Loki shrugged. “Your choice.” Then he walked around to the same side of the counter that Tony was standing on, and his eyes flicked up and down Tony’s body. He seemed frozen in place for a strangely long moment before clearing his throat. “Now let us be off. I would prefer to get this entire visit over as quickly as possible.”

“Finally something we can agree on.” Tony’s pants didn’t have any pockets for his phone and wallet, but he definitely wasn’t leaving home without them when he was going to be heading out to somewhere unfamiliar with someone who was essentially a stranger. He searched around the penthouse for a minute before finding the leather hip bag that Rhodey had given him as a joke at some point, saying that nobody could rock anything that came even close to resembling a fanny pack. Up until now, Tony had never had the opportunity to prove his best friend wrong. He tucked his things into the bag and settled it around his waist, and then glanced up at the ceiling. “J, if Pepper or Rhodey call or stop by, let them know that I’m fine, and I’m just taking a little sabbatical.”

“Very well, Sir. Should I be concerned if I do not hear from you in a certain amount of time?”

Tony thought about it for a moment before nodding. “Give me a week.” Then he saw the look on Loki’s face, and sighed. “Alright, give me two weeks. If you don’t hear from me or see me again in exactly two weeks, then let Pepper and Rhodey both know exactly what happened, and show them the footage of Loki doing his,” he waved his hands around, the word ‘magic’ getting caught in his throat because it was simply too ridiculous to consider it to be real even after having already witnessed it. “Hold down the fort for me, will you?”

“Of course, Sir.”

Then Loki grabbed Tony and pulled him into a hug that felt very awkward. “I advise you to hold on tightly.” Then everything seemed to disappear right in front of him.

,,,

Loki found it somewhat distracting to be holding Stark so closely to him. He could feel the warm Midgardian level of body heat radiating off of the shorter man, and gulped once. At least when they were pressed together this closely, Loki couldn’t see just how well those pants fit on Stark, because if he had to keep seeing that sight, he was pretty sure that he was going to have a problem. 

The climb up Yggdrasil seemed to take forever compared to usual, though whether that was because he had additional cargo this time or because he was so lost in thought, it was impossible to say for sure. While he had told Tony that they would be taking the bifrost, he’d run into the unfortunate setback of Heimdall refusing to answer Tony’s call, which seemed excessively petty. Not that it really mattered. Going through the tree was easier (even if it did look much less impressive- not that Loki cared about impressing anybody, of course).

Then they finally arrived in Asgard, and Loki hated that he was so reluctant to peel Stark off of him. They had arrived in the forest that the tree’s branch was hidden in, but from here, Loki could just teleport them to the palace, because he certainly wasn’t going to make Stark walk all the way to the city.

He grabbed Stark’s arm and took them to the entrance hall of the palace, where the guards stared at him impassively, but didn’t turn him away. They did look curiously at where Loki’s hand was wrapped around Stark’s arm, though, and Loki let go as though he’d just been scalded. “Come on, darling,” he said in what he hoped was an endearing way. 

Stark snorted, and grabbed at Loki’s arm to yank him down enough to whisper into Loki’s ear. “I may barely know you and vice versa, but I can already tell you that neither of us are exactly the sweet pet names type, or the overly affectionate ones. If you really want to fool Odin into thinking that we’re dating, you’re just going to have to be yourself and explain it as me being the only one willing to put up with your dumb ass.”

Loki narrowed his eyes, but he knew that Stark was right. Odin would see right away that it was fake if Loki tried to act like he’d seen others in relationships act. He just needed to be himself, which meant being more distant. “You seem to be taking this all in rather well, all things considered.”

Stark shrugged. “What can I say? I guess I always knew that my life was destined to be full of insanity. Especially after…” he trailed off as he seemed to subconsciously reach up and rub at the center of his chest. Loki had already seen a glimpse of it last night, and a better look this morning. Some kind of talisman that had been embedded into the man’s chest, though from the look on Stark’s face, it didn’t seem as though it had been an addition made with consent. He decided to say nothing, not wanting to irritate Stark right before they were supposed to act as though they were lovers. “Anyways, will you tell me more about what you meant when you said that you rewrote history?”

“Later,” Loki murmured. There were ears everywhere in this place, and all of them were entirely loyal to the Allfather. Odin was much older than Loki, and most likely knew that something had happened to mess with the fabric of the universe itself. Time could not be changed on one realm without being changed on all of them simultaneously. Of course the things he’d done to change the past did not have any effects on the other realms (at least not as far as Loki knew), but a change that strong would probably leave behind some kind of scars that Odin could feel, and Loki did not want to hear a lecture about how irresponsible it was to mess with time for his own gain. 

Stark gave him a pout (that was definitely not adorable, what in the Norns was wrong with him, why was he having such a reaction to Stark?) but Loki ignored it and powered on the rest of the way to the throne room. He was actually a little impressed that Stark was able to keep up with him despite having much shorter legs.

The closer they got to the throne room, the more nervous Loki felt. Not that there was any reason to be nervous, right? He hadn’t done anything to earn Odin’s wrath, and he had come up with the perfect plan to get himself out of a stupid arranged marriage that the Allfather was trying to force him into. As if Loki needed to be set up in a relationship. He was more than capable of finding companions on his own. Thor found far more companions than Loki, but he was never threatened with an arranged marriage. This was just further proof that Odin favored his older son, which pissed Loki off to no end.

But he couldn’t let any of that anger show, not right now. He just needed to convince Odin that Stark was his lover, and then he would be able to leave Asgard and stay away for the next couple of centuries until his feelings had gotten the chance to cool down somewhat.

The guards kept staring Stark, and Loki had to resist the urge to growl at them. How dare they look at Stark like that? Stark was his- no, this was all just a charade, and- Loki took in a deep breath, and then slowly let it out. He had been watching over Stark for the mortal’s entire life, and he felt as though he knew the man much better than he probably really did. He felt rather protective of the mortal. Of course that was only because if this one died he’d have to go through some trouble to find another one quite so intelligent and interesting, and not because he actually cared at all about the fate of the Midgardian.

It was a couple of minutes of waiting once one of the guards had entered the room to announce Loki’s arrival, and even though it was such a short amount of time, it felt utterly excruciating. And then finally, the guard returned and gestured for Loki and Stark to go inside, and Loki kept his head high and strode in as though he didn’t have a worry in the world.

Odin was seated on his throne, and Frigga was sitting in her own right next to the Allfather’s. Loki should have told Stark to stay behind him, but he’d forgotten, and now he just had to deal with the fact that Stark didn’t even realize how audacious it was to walk right up to the king of Asgard without even bowing once or doing any other kind of respectful gesture.

At least he seemed wise enough to realize that it would be best for him to let Loki do the talking. He’d witnessed the aftermath of some of the things that Stark could say when he got into a mood, and it never ended well. Loki bowed down in front of his parents, and then slowly stood back up again, not making eye contact with Odin. “Odin, I have come before you today to present my mate. Though he is of Midgard, he is highly intelligent, and brave, and clever. He has a long list of accomplishments and impressive stories, and-”

Odin held up one hand, and Loki snapped his mouth shut, though he was annoyed at being interrupted like that. Especially when it took another few seconds before the older man actually started to say anything. “What is this truly about, Loki?”

He didn’t allow any of his nerves to show on his face. “When I protested your proposal for me to wed, I rejected the idea, though I gave no explanation as to why. Well now I am prepared to answer you on why I cannot marry that girl from Vanaheim. I am already in love with this man, Anthony Edward Stark of Midgard.”

Odin didn’t even glance at Stark for a second, and Loki wasn’t sure whether to take that as a good sign or not. “He is of Midgard? Then he will be dead in less than a century and a marriage will still be viable. I’m sure that Vanaheim would be willing to wait a few short decades.”

Loki clenched his jaw, but his mother spoke up before he could say anything foolish. At times, it seemed as though he had just as poor a filter as Stark did. “If Loki truly loves this mortal, enough to delay a wedding that would be so good for both realms, then he should be willing to spend the rest of his life with this man.”

Loki nodded once. “If only it were possible.”

Frigga looked past her son to stare directly at Stark. It was to Stark’s favor that he did not cower away from the gaze. “Do you truly love my son?”

Apparently Stark was a better actor than Loki would have given him credit for. He gulped, and then nodded once, clenching his hands into fists as he stared up at Frigga. “I do. He came into my life at a time when I thought everything to be hopeless, and gave it all new meaning.” His eyes flicked over to Loki for just a moment before settling back onto the queen. “He makes me laugh, and he can keep up with me when I talk about science stuff. I know that we’re not a conventional couple, but… we can’t choose who we like, right?” He followed the rhetorical question with a little shrug.

Alright, so Loki had to admit that he was at least a little bit impressed by the performance. Of course he’d seen Stark perform in front of the cameras many times before, but none of those had been instances where Loki really understood the stakes the way he did right now. Later, once they were back on Midgard and away from the overly watchful eyes of the Allfather, Loki would have to thank Stark for not being entirely incompetent.

But it wasn’t over yet, so for now, Loki just gave Stark what he hoped was a fond look, and then focused his attention on Frigga. No matter what her husband said or did, in the end it was really her word that was law, at least when it came to her children. She gave Stark what seemed to be an almost menacingly friendly smile. “I like you, Anthony.” She looked to Loki. “You have chosen your mate well. You said that if there were any way to spend the rest of your life with him you would, right? Well I am giving you the chance to put that devotion to the test. I will ask Idunn to give you one of her apples, which you will feed to your beloved so that you may wed and remain together for eternity.”

It was even further to Stark’s credit that he didn’t immediately refuse or just run away screaming. His face did go slightly pale, though that was forgivable enough for anyone in the circumstance. “I’m sorry, but what kind of apple are you talking about, here?”

Frigga continued to smile, and Loki wasn’t sure if this was her way of calling their bluff, or if she actually believed that this was the best solution to Loki’s marriage issue. “The golden apples in the garden of Idunn. Eating one would increase your strength and allow you to live for as long as my son, so that you will be more than just a blink in his eye. Tell me honestly now, do you love my son enough to marry him?”

Honestly, Loki wasn’t sure what he would prefer to happen here. He couldn’t see any way out of this that wouldn’t result in him being trapped in a marriage he did not want to be in. But at least if he was able to get married for non-political reasons, there would be a greater chance of him maintaining his autonomy and freedom. He could claim that he wanted to live on Midgard with Stark for a couple of centuries, and hopefully by then everyone would have forgotten all about this sham and he’d be able to move on with his life.

Though that was entirely dependent on the idea that Stark actually wanted immortality. Strangely enough, from what Loki had read and seen throughout his visit to Midgard, it seemed as though immortality was something Midgardians were eager to seek out, but regretted it once they had achieved it. They were a complicated lot of creatures to be sure.

Loki had to stop himself from holding his breath as he looked at Stark, wondering what the mortal would say. If this was in exchange for any other favor, Loki himself would step forward and refuse his mother’s offer, knowing that it wouldn’t be worth it. But Loki had used his magic to mess with time and the universe itself just so Stark could get his wish, so having to live forever and kiss Loki a few times during a wedding ceremony seemed like a fair compensation for that.

Stark took a deep breath in through his nose, and then slowly let it out through his mouth. “Your majesty, I would be overjoyed to have the ability to be with Loki forever. But… I have friends and family who I can’t just leave behind and outlive. I love Loki, but I love my friends too.”

“You realize that you would have the same number of years with your friends regardless of whether or not you live for another fifty years or another fifty thousand?” 

Stark nodded. “I know. But I don’t think I would survive losing them. A husband is not a substitute for every other person I’ve got.”

Loki was tempted to walk over to Stark and throttle him right where he stood. He could already see from the look on Odin’s face that he was not going to let Loki off the hook from that stupid marriage to Vanaheim. “This seems to have been a waste of all of our time. Bring the mortal back to his home, and then return here as soon as you are done. We have many things to discuss, and a date will need to be set for your wedding. Whether you still want to wait until your pet Midgardian dies first or not is up to you.”

Loki blinked a few times, and bowed his head down. “With all due respect, I do not think that I will be able to be with anyone else after having known this man. I may outlive him by many years, but his memory and place in my heart will never be able to die. Surely you can understand how inappropriate, then, it would be for me to marry another?”

Odin narrowed his eye. “Do not presume to question my decisions. You will do whatever I say you shall do!” 

The Allfather started to rise up out of his seat, and Loki squeezed his eyes shut and winced as he prepared himself for whatever punishment he was about to get. He wasn’t expecting to hear Frigga laugh at his predicament, and he opened his eyes so that he could convey to her how betrayed he felt, only to see immediately that she hadn’t been laughing at his impending pain. No, she had laughed because Stark had thrown himself right in front of Loki and spread his arms out to the sides, giving Odin a hard look. “Don’t hurt him just because I said that I couldn’t marry him. I changed my mind. Just give me like five or ten years and then I’ll eat an apple and everyone will be happy.”

The look on Odin’s face made it quite clear that he did not believe it was possible for everyone to be happy. Luckily, the queen was able to speak up before the king got the chance. “I’m afraid that that is not a viable option, Mr. Stark. Mortals are such delicate little things, and there is far too great a risk of something tragic occuring in that time. But I do have a counter offer for you. You will eat an entire apple to gain the full effects. You will also be able to give a single bite to three friends of your choosing. It will not make them immortal, but will stretch their natural lifespan, and make them more hearty against injury. You will be given seventy years to remain on Midgard with those you care about, and then you will wed my son and move to Asgard to live here with him. Is this deal acceptable to you?”

It was so rare that Loki managed to stumble across anyone as unpredictable to him as Stark was. He genuinely couldn’t make a guess either way about what Stark would decide to do, because apparently the man was full of nothing but surprises. Not that that was necessarily a bad thing. Loki did enjoy finally meeting someone who wasn’t as boring as a bag of rocks.

Stark tilted his head to the side, and seemed to be taking Frigga’s offer into very serious consideration. Then he slowly nodded his head once. “Those terms are acceptable to me.”

Odin held up one hand. “Not so quickly. If you are truly only eating an apple to be with Loki, and this is not all just some scam to get your hands on immortality, then I demand that the wedding take place within a year of you consuming your apple, and your friends will not get their bites until after the wedding is complete.”

Stark closed his eyes for a moment, and then finally nodded. “Fine. And I’m assuming that a wedding on Earth wouldn’t be good enough for you?”

“It would not be properly binding,” Frigga explained gently. “When Asgardians wed, a bond is created between them that a Midgardian officiator would not be able to create. Your people consider consummation to be what makes a marriage proper, no?” Stark nodded once, looking slightly lost. “Well our people consider bonding to be that thing.”

Stark nodded. “I see.” He took another deep breath, and Loki hoped that the man wasn’t on the verge of panicking or even mildly freaking out. “So who plans the wedding? I’m assuming that it’s still some kind of ceremony, though I’m not sure what exactly it would entail.”

“You do not need to worry yourself with the details. I have been looking forward to planning my sons’ weddings for as long as I have had sons. I will let you both know once we have a more exact date in mind. For now, you may eat your apple and then return to Midgard.” That seemed like a perfect opportunity for Loki to just- “It is lucky I have one on hand so neither of you needs to make the trip to Idunn’s garden.” She pulled out a shimmery golden apple from one of her pocket dimensions, and held it out in front of her. 

Stark was obviously nervous as he slowly step forward and took it from her hand, and then quickly took a few steps back. “So you’re just going to watch me eat this? No offense, but that’s a little creepy.”

“Idunn’s apples are highly coveted,” Odin growled out. “We do not wish to risk any pieces of it falling into the wrong hands.”

Stark nodded, and then took a deep breath. He closed his eyes and then raised his arm up to take the first bite. At least it was an enjoyable way to sign away one’s life. Loki knew from experience how delicious the magical fruits were. Stark didn’t need any convincing to finish the entire thing, until there was nothing but the core left. And then Frigga waved her hand, and that disappeared as well, most likely back to the gardens to be planted or disposed of at Idunn’s discretion. “It was so nice to meet you, Anthony Stark. I am pleased to be acquainted with anyone capable of making Loki happy. We will all be seeing each other again soon, and I do look forward to it.” Then she leaned back comfortably in her seat, which was a clear dismissal of them both.

Loki wrapped his arm around Stark’s waist to propel him out of the throne room, and then immediately teleported them both back to the tree so that they could return to Midgard. Before he could actually get on the tree, though, Stark shoved at Loki’s chest. Now that he’d eaten the apple, he was actually strong enough to get away with it, though he would never be as strong as Loki. “Okay, so I’m freaking out right now. What the hell have I gotten myself into? I mean, I know that I can be a bit impulsive at times, but surely this takes the cake. Pepper is going to kill me.”

He sounded impatient when he responded, even though Loki knew that it wasn’t Stark’s fault that he was so confused at the moment. “You are now immortal, you and I are to be married in one year, and then after that we can both go our separate ways so long as we arrive together to family reunions every couple hundred years or so.”

Stark looked slightly dazed as he leaned back against a random nearby tree, and then slumped down to the ground. “This is totally insane. What was I even thinking? I can’t be immortal. I don’t de-” he cut himself off, and stared down at the ground blankly. “This is all just some messed up dream after having too much to drink, right?”

“Afraid not, dearest,” Loki said in a dry voice. Then he grabbed Stark’s arm to pull the man back up to his feet. “Time to bring you home, and then I plan on taking advantage of my last year as a free man.”

Stark narrowed his eyes, and pulled his arm free so that he could put both of his hands on his hips. “I’ll have you know that you are lucky to have the opportunity to marry me. I am a total ten!”

Loki wasn’t quite sure what that meant, but he was sure it was some meaningly Midgardian system of measurement, and he didn’t care for it because he wasn’t sure how to prove that he was the better one without knowing what scale was being used. “I am feeling particularly unlucky at this moment,” he muttered.

Stark rolled his eyes. “Oh and you’re welcome for me saving your ass, by the way. I just signed away my entire eternity for you. I can’t wait to be an old fossil using a scooter to get around in a thousand years.”

Loki snorted. “That won’t be a problem. You were not born to an immortal race. By eating one of the apples, you will cease to age entirely, though once we complete our wedding bond, our lives will essentially be linked, which means you can expect to experience the same approximate lifespan as me.”

“Well, that’s one good thing, at least. You’re not going to hear any complaints from me about my good looks…” he trailed off as he absent mindedly reached up to feel at his chest, and then a look of disgust and disappointment settled over his features as he quickly dropped his hand back down to his side. “Anyways let’s just get out of here already.”

,,,

As soon as they returned to the tower, Tony shooed Loki away from the building, and spared a moment to be grateful that the man actually listened to him for once. Then he went down to the lab and locked the doors securely behind him. He started opening projects at random, and opened his mouth to say something to Jarvis, but then forgot about it as he stared at the date in the bottom corner. “Is that accurate, J? Because according to this, I’ve been gone for four days already, but I swear it feels like it was only a couple of hours.”

“You have been gone for four days, thirteen hours, and thirty-seven minutes,” Jarvis confirmed. “It is good to see you’ve returned in one piece. And might I add that you seem to have a glow about you?”

Tony stared down at his arm, but was relieved to see that he wasn’t actually glowing, because that would be pretty awkward to explain away around other humans. Then he fished his phone out of his pocket and turned it on. His phone suggested that it had only been about two and a half hours since he’d last checked. After giving it a moment to sync, it changed to say the current date and time. “Fascinating,” he muttered to himself. “Oh, and J, set aside a day about a year from now. I’m getting married.”

“Congratulations, Sir. Who is the lucky bride or groom?”

Tony sighed, and leaned forward against his workbench. “Loki. It’s a long story. Call Pepper and Rhodey and put them on conference call, because I only want to explain all of this once.”

,,,

At first when Loki would appear without warning, Tony had to resist the urge to throw something at his head out of basic instinct. But he got used to it soon enough, and found himself almost looking forward to the impromptu visits, especially when he was able to wheedle Loki into showing off some magic. Tony was determined to figure out how all of that magic stuff worked, and so far Loki was his only field of reference. Well, and himself, though as far as he knew he couldn’t actually do anything magical, and it took diamond tipped needles just to get a blood sample. 

And sometimes, Loki even had intelligent things to say about whatever other projects Tony was working on. He only seemed to award backhanded compliments, but Tony could tell that Loki was genuinely impressed with a lot of Tony’s ideas. It felt nice to have someone see the value in his work, even when it wasn’t just weapons that he was making.

It felt like a single year passed by in a blur, and then he was suddenly standing on Asgard again, wrapped in fancy robes as he faced Loki, who was dressed equally nicely, though in more green. Pepper and Rhodey were mixed in with the crowd of other attendees of the wedding, and even though they were just as weirded out by all of this as Tony was, they assured him that they supported him in whatever he did because they loved him. Though it probably helped that he let them believe that he actually did love Loki. He hadn’t lied to them, he just hadn’t bothered to correct them when they’d come to the wrong conclusions. And while Tony didn’t love Loki, at least he didn’t totally hate the guy. There had been plenty of marriages built on shakier foundations.

It was announced that the bond between them had been completed, though Tony didn’t feel any different than he had before. He wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting, but it wasn’t for it all to be the same as ever. But he glanced back at the large crowd to smile and wave, and then gave Loki a brief kiss when he was nudged to do so, and then it was all over, and everyone headed to the giant after party.

Tony had been to more than his fair share of parties in his life, but he’d never been to one like an Asgardian party. These people were real hedonists when it came to all the little pleasures in life, probably because they knew that those pleasures wouldn’t kill them no matter how much they indulged themselves. It was fun to just let loose and dance and drink and eat and tell stories. Even though neither of his best friends could drink (just a couple sips of this stuff was enough to put them under the table), they easily fit in with all the merriment as well.

Eventually it grew to be too much, and it was easy for Tony to slip away in such a large crowd. He went out onto one of the nearby balconies for some fresh air, and leaned forward against the railing as he stared out at the city. It was a beautiful sight, though he was pretty sure that nothing would ever beat the view he had from home. 

He wasn’t sure how long he’d been standing out there before there was a voice from behind him, though it didn’t startle him at all, because it just felt like home. “Running away from your own festivities?”

“I’m getting too old for parties.”

Loki snorted. “I’ve heard plenty of stories of the infamous Anthony Stark. I don’t think any Midgardians would believe it if they heard you say that themselves.”

Tony shrugged. “I don’t need to prove anything to anyone.”

Loki came closer until he was leaning up against the railing as well, standing so close to Tony that their shoulders were pressing together. “No, I suppose you don’t.”

Tony sighed, and tipped his head back to stare up at the stars above. “So this is goodbye, huh?”

He could feel the way Loki’s muscles stiffened in response before he said anything. “Yes, I suppose that it is. But it isn’t the last we’re going to be seeing of each other, husband.”

If anyone were to ask, Tony would adamantly deny the shiver that ran down his spine at the way Loki pronounced that word. “Yeah, I know. There’s always the next wedding. I have the perfect little number to wear as a jilted first spouse.”

Loki pulled away from the railing, but Tony didn’t turn to look at him. “I would prefer to remain married to you, if you don’t mind. Less complications than there would be from a political wedding. And for everyone to believe that I have the ability to marry for feelings sends a strong message that I would not wish to destroy.” He reached out to pat Tony on the shoulder once. “See you around.” And then he was gone, and Tony finally turned to look at the spot Loki had just been standing in. It was still difficult to believe that this was his life, but after a year of getting used to the idea, it didn’t seem as impossible as it had before. And even several minutes after Loki had left, the spot his hand had touched on Tony’s shoulder felt like it was burning. 

,,,

_Tony took a step back as he pulled away from the kiss he’d initiated, and looked around in confusion. “Nothing happened?”_

_Loki grinned, showing all his teeth. “To give you what you ask for, I must do a little bit of work, more than I usually would. I cannot just snap my fingers and give you everything. This must be a delicate task, carefully thought through.”_

_Tony nodded, a determined look on his face. “Fine. Let me help you.”_

_He felt somewhat victorious at the sight of surprise on Loki’s face. He got the feeling that it was rare to catch Loki off-guard. “Beg your pardon?”_

_Tony shrugged. “This is my life and future on the line. I want to be involved in whatever process it takes to get me what I need.”_

_They stared at each other for a long moment before Loki sighed and nodded once. “Very well. But I’m warning you now that this may take many years of your life.”_

_“I can wait. Besides, working with you seems like it will be fun.”_

_Loki blinked a few times. “No one has ever said that before. I suppose that I-”_

_Before he could finish his thought, Tony pulled him into a hug. “Thank you for this, by the way. Thank you for everything.”_

_Loki hesitated for a moment before awkwardly returning the hug. “Yes, well, it’s not as though I am doing this for free. Don’t forget about your side of the deal.” Then he frowned. “Well, if everything goes well, it is entirely possible that I will be the only person in the universe who remembers any of this.”_

_“Then you’ll just have to remind me. I swear I’m a man of my word, Loki. And I already gave you that kiss, so the deal is sealed, right?”_

_There was a brief pause, and then Loki nodded once. “Yes, it is. In that case, let us get to work. The sooner I can make you a Stark, the sooner I can collect on what you owe me.”_

_It wasn’t until years later, after traveling all over the universe with Loki, that it occurred to Tony to even ask. “What are you going to ask from me once all of this is over?”_

_He missed the flash of pain across Loki’s face at the mention of this time coming to an end. “I’m not sure yet,” he said slowly, deliberately. I suppose that you’ll just have to wait and see.”_


End file.
